The Kitchen Chemist: How I Became a Food Scientist So My Kids Could Thrive with Anaphylactic Allergies

For the past several months, I’ve been involved in an excellent collaboration with author Frances Castelli, whose compelling real-life story will offer hope and information to concerned parents. If you’re navigating the complexities of broad-spectrum anaphlyactic food allergies in your children, this book is for you. Featuring input from family and friends, including husband Ralph and children Anthony, Hope, and Natale, The Kitchen Chemist will offer practical guidance, based on the author’s personal experience, on how to accommodate your children’s allergies and help them develop into thriving, productive, and happy adults — even if they never outgrow them.

The second half of The Kitchen Chemist will be devoted to 30 mouth-watering, yet allergy-safe recipes created by the author herself. Having had the pleasure of getting to know Frances as we bring the book to fruition, she is one of the strongest, most inspiring people I have ever met. Thanks to her unrelenting pursuit of knowledge, her commitment to her kids’ well-being, and her ability to alter and create savory recipes, all three — now young adults — are fully equipped to take care of themselves and handle every situation with ease and wisdom.

It’s been a joy to discover the Castelli family’s story and interview everyone involved, especially Ralph, Anthony, Hope, and Natale, who bring their own unique perspectives to The Kitchen Chemist.

From the book description:

It is said that children don’t come with an instruction manual. Imagine standing by helplessly as your baby gasps for air and clutches her throat on the floor, unable to communicate, or breaks out in hives when a relative gives him a hug and a kiss at a holiday gathering. While most parents juggle school and work schedules, quality family time, and extracurricular activities, feeding their children is rarely a matter of life or death.

For Frances Castelli, such traumatic events were common; the adage took on an entirely new meaning when she discovered all three of her children had multiple anaphylactic food allergies.

In the Castelli household, even food we consider “healthy” could be fatal.

What would you do?

In TheKitchen Chemist, author Frances Castelli recounts her unanticipated journey into the world of broad spectrum anaphylactic allergies with humor, grace, and honesty. From consultations with endless medical specialists to in-depth research into the composition and interaction of food, you’ll discover how this devoted mother transformed from distraught parent to confident kitchen chemist. She debunks the myths, offers practical advice for parents and kids, and shares 30 safe, delicious, and easy-to-prepare recipes (yes, even desserts!). Now grown-ups with lives of their own, her children, Anthony, Hope, and Nat prove that life with food allergies can be full and enjoyable, even if they never go away. They are passionately living their dreams and want others to know they can too.